Colleges lobby for simpler visa process

April 28, 2004

A steep decline in graduate school applications from foreign students has university administrators pushing the federal government to reform the visa process. Their argument: The trend could cost U.S. schools much-needed revenue and research help and make America seem isolated in the eyes of the world.

International graduate student applications for this fall are down 32 percent compared with a year ago, according to a survey, and schools are extending deadlines to help students deal with all the red tape.

Universities acknowledge that the importance of foreign students is not obvious to the public, which has security concerns after one of the Sept. 11 hijackers entered the country on a student visa. But administrators insist those slots are as important now as ever.

"This is one of America's most effective forms of diplomacy," said Douglas Kincaid of Florida International University in Miami. "We're educating people who will be in influential positions in science and industry and government around the world."

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Where they're from

The top 10 countries of origin for international students in the U.S.: